Modular firefighting unit

ABSTRACT

A compact firefighting unit which is a self-contained system that can be installed on an unmodified cargo truck. The equipment such as tanks, pump, hose reels and the like are mounted on a frame, which includes provisions to facilitate loading the unit on the truck and a locking mechanism for attaching the unit to the bed of the truck and requiring no modification or alteration of the truck.

United States Patent [191 Forsyth et al.

[ Nov.6,1973

1 MODULAR FIREFIGHTING UNIT [75] Inventors: John P. Forsyth; Robert W.Forsyth, both of Upland; Donald R. Holcomb, Ontario; Nathan N. Shiovitz,Anaheim, all of Calif.

[73] Assignee: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation,

Burbank, Calif.

22 Filed: Dec.26, 1972 21 Appl.No.:318,594

[52] US. Cl..... 169/24, 239/172 [51] Int. Cl. A62c 27/00 [58] Field ofSearch 169/] R, 2 R, 24;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,241,857 5/1941 Hisaw169/24 12/1950 DeFrees 169/24 X 4/1968 Wesson 169/2 R X PrimaryExaminer-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-John J. LoveAttorney-Billy G. Corber et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A compact firefighting unit which is a self-containedsystem that can be installed on an unmodified cargo truck. The equipmentsuch as tanks, pump, hose reels and the like are mounted on a frame,which includes provisions to facilitate loading the unit on the truckand a locking mechanism for attaching the unit to the bed of the truckand requiring no modification or alteration of the truck.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 MODULAR FIREFIGHTING UNIT Each year, thelate summer season brings a heightened threat of fire to undevelopedrecreational areas of the western and southwestern states. Periodically,an unusually dry spring and summer will end in conflagrations whichdenude watershed areas by the tens of thousands of acres. The cost ofthese fires in terms of the ecological damage they produce, the loss ofanimal and plant life, loss of the ability to retain ground water andsubsequent flooding are incalculable. Their costs, in terms of thefire-fighting efforts they necessitate, are both calculable andstaggering. These latter costs are even more significant whenconsideration is given to the relative ineffectiveness of the techniquesfire fighters are forced to adopt, lacking equipment in adequate numbersand plagued by the limitations of the equip- .ment that is available.

The mainstay of the suburban and rural fireman is still, unfortunately,the metropolitan firetruck, where the terrain will permitits use, andthe shovel, assorted brush tools and the backpack for inaccessibleterrain. The principal disadvantage of the metropolitan fire truck inthis role is its lack of mobility in rugged areas where early action canprevent small fires from spreading into conflagrations. Yet, specializedfirefighting vehicles with the required mobility are expensive, fromthe-standpoint of both initial cost and utility, and consequently cannotbe made available in quantities sufficient to cover even a minimum ofthe high firehazard areas. I In an effort to make better use of thefire-fighting capabilities of available metropolitan units, the forestservices utilize earth moving equipment, both before and during fires,to create roadways marginally suitable for the trucks. Fire roadsprepared and maintained on a continuing basis are located whereexperience indicates they will be most useful during an emergency. Theseroadnets must usually be expanded after a fire starts to provide realaccess for fire equipment. This, of course, takes time time during whichthe fire is spreading without effective means of control and exposes menand equipment to the very real risk of being cut off and trapped by afast-moving fire. The bulldozers are also used to clear fire-breaks andprepare protective earthworks. Frequently, because they are somewhatmore mobile than the conventional metropolitan fire units, thesevehicles must be diverted to patrol fire lines and handle hot spots.

There are, however, many vehicles which have the required mobility, havealready been publicly acquired and maintained, and which can be madeavailable in time of fire emergencies. As a matter of fact, thesevehicles are often pressed into service at such times to transportfirefighters armed with hand tools into the fire zone. These vehiclesare the high mobility, 6 X 6 military cargo trucks common to every localNational Guard and Military Reserve Unit.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide afirefighting system which is simple, compact and can be readilyinstalled on an unmodified cargo truck.

A further object of the invention is to provide a highmobility,firefighting system. t

A further object of the invention is to provide modular units which canbe placed at strategic points and moved into critical areas with maximumdispatch.

An additional advantage of the invention is that the completelyself-contained module may be air-lifted by helicopter to remotemountainous sites.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent whentaken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical cargo truck showing thefirefighting unit installed;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main frame of the unit and showing detailsof the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 andillustrating further details of the locking mechanism.

With reference to FIG. 1, a standard cargo truck 1 is illustrated with amodular firefighting unit installed in the bed thereof. The modular unitgenerally designated 2 may consist of'a tank 3 of a capacity of about1,000 gallons of fire-retardant material such as water or the like, apump 4 and hose reels 5, with suitable hoses 6 as indicated. The pump isdriven by an engine (not shown) which would also drive an alternator forlighting and/or battery charging. A plurality of cabinets 7 are locatedabove the'tank for storage of various firefighting tools and equipment.The tank is preferably mounted on a main support frame consisting of twolongitudinal tubular skids 8 and cross members 9, whichalso providemounting structure-for the hose reels and pump. Additional structuralmembers integral with the tank assembly provide attachment points for anoperators platform and handrail assembly (not shown) and the storagecabinets.

In FIG. 2, the tubular supports 8 and connecting cross members 9 areshown along with the inventive improvement. Approximately at each cornerof the supporting frame 8-9 are four units 10 which provide for theloading and locking functions. The outline of the truck bed isindicated'at l 1. As shown, the firefighting unit is in place in thetruck bed and locked in position. Adjacent the sides of the truck bed oneach unit 10 are rollers 12which facilitate rapid and easy loadingkeeping the unit accurately centered in the truck bed 11 as it is movedfrom a stationary site strategically located onto the truck. Each .unit10 also includes a locking mechanism, shown inmore detail in FIG. 3.With the invention as described and claimed, no modification of theexisting truck is required. The modular unit is simply loaded into thetruck bed, locked in position and moved into the more inaccessibleterrain areas for greater efficiency and more effective fire control.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the locking mechanism 13 will now be described,it being understood that the centering rollers 12 are behind the lockingmechanism 13 and not shown in FIG. 3. The solid lines indicate thelocked position, while the broken lines indicate the unlocked positionduring loading of the firefighting modular unit. The locking mechanismconsists of a pivoted member 14 and a pad assembly 15, 19. The padassembly is lowered so that the pad 15 makes firm contact with the truckbed. Parallel alignment of the pad is provided by the adjusting screw 16against fixed member 17. Once the pad 15 is lowered into place, the nut18 is adjusted to force the vertical pad 19 firmly against the body sidewall which, together with the pad 15 at each corner of the unit, locksthe firefighting unit firmly in the truck bed. It is believed thatequivalent locking means will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

A typical operation of loading and unloading the firefighting unit willnow be described.- The modular unit will normally be stored in criticalareas on a permanent rack or stand at approximately the height of thetruck bed. The rack or stand should be equipped with suitable winches,cables and pulleys to assist in moving the modular unit to or from thestand. Assuming the modular unit is on the stand; the cable is attachedto the rear of the module with the cable laid over an intermediate drumat the front of the platform and thence routed to the winch drum at therear of the platform. The truck is then positioned near the center lineof the stand, and operation of the winch quickly moves the moduleforward into the truck, with the rollers 12 providing accurate centeringof the module within the truck bed. When the transfer operation iscomplete, i.e., themodule reaches the front of the truck body, the cableis released and the module locked in place as previously described. Thetransfer of the modular unit from the truck back to the storage stand orrack is substantially in reverse operation to the above, except that thecable, attached to the rear of the module, is routed directly to thewinch drum at the rear of the platform.

What is claimed is:

l. A compact modular firefighting unit adaptable for mounting on a truckbed comprising a supporting frame, a plurality of tanks mounted on theframe, means for dispensing'fire-retardant material from the tanks, aplurality of centering and locking mechanisms attached to the supportingframe, each such mechanism comprising at least one roller adapted forrotation in a horizontal plane,

a locking pad assembly having at least one adjustable pad for engagementwith the truck bed, and

at least one other adjustable pad for engagement with the side wall ofthe truck bed.

2 The firefighting unit as defined by claim 1, and wherein a centeringand locking mechanism is attached to the supporting frame atsubstantially each corner thereof.

3. The firefighting unit of claim 1 and further including means fortransferring the unit to and from a mobile vehicle.

4. The firefighting unit of claim 1 and further including storage spacefor firefighting equipment.

1. A compact modular firefighting unit adaptable for mounting on a truckbed comprising a supporting frame, a plurality of tanks mounted on theframe, means for dispensing fire-retardant material from the tanks, aplurality of centering and locking mechanisms attached to the supportingframe, each such mechanism comprising at least one roller adapted forrotation in a horizontal plane, a locking pad assembly having at leastone adjustable pad for engagement with the truck bed, and at least oneother adjustable pad for engagement with the side wall of the truck bed.2. The firefighting unit as defined by claim 1, and wherein a centeringand locking mechanism is attached to the supporting frame atsubstantially each corner thereof.
 3. The firefighting unit of claim 1and further including means for transferring the unit to and from amobile vehicle.
 4. The firefighting unit of claim 1 and furtherincluding storage space for firefighting equipment.